I tried following some instructions for a really nice bench I saw, and its all in metric; I did the conversions and realized I needed to customize a bench.
So I drew up some sketches and measured out what I want. I will be updating this thread to show the process. The bench will have two levels, and will measure out to 7 ft long and about 3 to 3.5 ft wide. The height of the legs for the highest level is 3 ft, and the second level will have 2 ft legs. Most of the wood is pine 2x4s, but the tops are made of oak, 1x4 planks, which are 7 ft long. The planks will have about an inch of overhang all around the pine skeleton.
These are the 3 ft legs. I sanded them in multiple steps (80 grit; 150 grit; 220 grit; 320 grit). Then I used a torch to slightly char the wood to bring out the grain (and to protect the wood against rot and fire, etc., but it should have been charred much more for that purpose).
Afterwards, I wiped the 2x4s with mineral spirits, and used a black cherry stain and poly sealant.
I already finished with the rest of the 2x4s needed for the tall portion of the bench skeleton. I will begin drilling everything together to get the skeleton done, before moving onto prepping the pine for the second level of the bench.
I am considering polishing the poly like you would to a freshly painted car, but I’m itching to start building this thing already.
So I drew up some sketches and measured out what I want. I will be updating this thread to show the process. The bench will have two levels, and will measure out to 7 ft long and about 3 to 3.5 ft wide. The height of the legs for the highest level is 3 ft, and the second level will have 2 ft legs. Most of the wood is pine 2x4s, but the tops are made of oak, 1x4 planks, which are 7 ft long. The planks will have about an inch of overhang all around the pine skeleton.
These are the 3 ft legs. I sanded them in multiple steps (80 grit; 150 grit; 220 grit; 320 grit). Then I used a torch to slightly char the wood to bring out the grain (and to protect the wood against rot and fire, etc., but it should have been charred much more for that purpose).
Afterwards, I wiped the 2x4s with mineral spirits, and used a black cherry stain and poly sealant.
I already finished with the rest of the 2x4s needed for the tall portion of the bench skeleton. I will begin drilling everything together to get the skeleton done, before moving onto prepping the pine for the second level of the bench.
I am considering polishing the poly like you would to a freshly painted car, but I’m itching to start building this thing already.
